Means for attaching prong-carrying devices to flexible material



Sept. 5, 1961 H H woon 2,998,607

MEANS FOR AT'i'ACI -IING PRONG-CARRYING DEVICES TO FLEXIBLE MATERIAL Original Filed June 18, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 v HH. Wow, INVENTOR v BY @M fi 'gATTORNEYS Sept. 5, 1961 H. H. woon 2,998,607

MEANS FOR ATTACHING PRONG-CARRYING DEVICES TO FLEXIBLE MATERIAL Original Filed June 18, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ".wmnua 58 46 BY Mkwd gn qATToRmEYs United States I Patent C) 2,998,607 MEANS FOR A'ITA'CHING PRONG CARRYING DEVICES T FLEXIBLE MATERIAL Herbert Howard Wood, Birmingham, England, assignor to Thomas Walker Limited, Birmingham, England, a

British company Original application June 18, 1956, Ser. No. 592,094, now Patent No. 2,916,740, dated Dec. '15, 1959. Divided and this application Aug.17, 1959, Ser. No. 834,909

1 Claim. (Cl. "1-325) This invention relates to an improved method and means for attaching devices by means of prongs or like securing parts (including eyelets) to flexible material, in cases where the latter is formed as a sleeve or pocket, and is especially applicable to the attachment of prongattached fastening devices to the waistbands of trousers or other garments. The present application division of my co-pending application, Serial No. 592,094, filed June 18, 1956, subsequently issued as Patent No. 2,916,740.

Such waistbands are usually made with two thicknesses of cloth in the form of a closed-ended sleeve or pocket, and the counterpart components of a two-part releasable fastening device, such as a hook engageable with an eye or staple, or slidably-engageable parts, are attached to the outside of the respective ends of the Waistband by providing the said fastening components with, prongs which, by means of a suitable press, are passed through the one wall of the sleeve or pocket and clenched or bent over, usually on to a back-plate Within the sleeve or pocket.

Heretofore, it has been necessary, for clenching the prongs in a press, to expose both sides of the waistband material, such as by opening out the sleeve or pocket, in order to position one thickness of the material forming the one wall of the sleeve or pocket over the prongclenching anvil of the press, and this has required subsequent sewing up and forming of the sleeve or pocket. Also, it has not been satisfactory to attach the pronged hastening devices to a waistband already sewn on to the trousers or other garment because of the subsequent reforming of the sleeve which is necessary.

The object of the present invention is to enable devices to be attached by use of a clenching press to a pocket or sleeve formed of flexible material without the necessity of the material being opened out, thus avoiding or reducing the amount of subsequent re-forming of the pocket or sleeve.

Another object of the invention is to permit of such attachment of the devices in a quick and expedious manner.

According to the invention described in my aforesaid application, Serial No. 592,094, a method of attaching, by means of a clenching press, devices carrying prongs or the like to the outside of a pocket .or sleeve formed of flexible material, consists in inserting into the pocket or sleeve a mandrel carrying an anvil for clenching the prongs or the like, removably mounting the prong-carrying device on an operative member of the clenching press, and operating said press to cause the prongs or the like of the said device to penetrate the material of the pocket or sleeve from the exterior thereof and forcibly to cooperate with the anvil on the mandrel so as to be clenched or bent over, the latter operation being performedwhilst the mandrel is rigidly supported by a supporting part heneath it.

Also, according to the invention described in the aforesaid patent application, a method of attachin y means of a clenching press, the two parts of a two-part device respectively to the outside and the inside of a pocket or sleeve formed of flexible material, one part carrying prongs or the like for clenching'to the other part, consists in supporting and locating the one part of the device on Patented Sept. 5, 1961 ice a mandrel, inserting the mandrel with the said located part of the device into the pocket or sleeve, removably mounting the other part of the device on an operative member of the clenching press, and operating said press to cause the said operative part thereof to approach the mandrel sand the prongs or the like on the one part of the device to penetrate the material of the pocket or sleeve and to 'be clenched or bent over between the mandrel, and the said operative part of the press, this lastnamed operation being performed whilst the mandrel is rigidly supported by a supporting part beneath it.

The present invention also comprises means for carrying out the method set out in either of the two preceding paragraphs, said means including the mandrel, for use with the clenching press, insertable into the pocket or sleeve and having a clenching anvil and/or means for supporting and locating a part of a two-part device.

The mandrel is permanently carried by the press and is made to permit relative movement between the mandrel and its supporting part before the prong-clenching operation of the press, so that the mandrel can be inserted into the pocket or sleeve. The mandrel may comprise a bar rigidly fixed at one end to the base or bed of the press and carrying the prong-clenching anvil 'and/ or the means for supporting and locating a part of a two-part device at the other end, which latter end is arranged to normally lie on the surface of the bed or base, but which can be raised from the latter, by virtue of its resiliency, sufiiciently to enable insertion into the pocket or sleeve.

The anvil and/or the means for supporting and locating a part of a two-partdevice may be disposed on the mandrel at such a distance from the outer end thereof that when the mandrel is inserted into the pocket or sleeve up to a closed end of the latter, the anvil and/ or the part of a two-part device on the mandrel will be located in the correct desired position for the attachment of the device.

When the prongs are on a part of the device to be attached to the outside of the sleeve or pocket and are to be closed on to an apertured back-plate within the sleeve or pocket, the back-plate is placed over, and located on, the anvil carried by the mandrel, before the insertion of said mandrel into the sleeve or pocket. When the prongs are on the part of the device to be attached to the inside of the sleeve or pocket and are to be closed on to an apertured part of the device on the outside of the sleeve or pocket, the pronged part is placed on and located on the supporting mandrel before the latter is inserted into the sleeve or pocket. To retain the apertured back-plate, or the pronged part, as the case may be, on the mandrel during the insertion operation, the anvil part or supporting and locating part of the mandrel may be formed as a recess therein, having retaining walls or surrounding projections; also, the apertured back-plate or pronged part may be held in position by clip means or magnetic means.

A range of sizes of mandrels may be provided, or a single mandrel may be adapted to be fitted with sleeves for altering its effective size, so that different sizes of pockets or sleeves can be readily dealt with.

An embodiment of the invention will be described, by way of example, in connection with the attachment of sheet-metal hook fastening members to trousers waistbands, where the waistband comprises essentially a rec tangular-shaped strip or band containing two thicknesses of cloth closed over at the outer ends and edges to form a closed-ended sleeve or pocket and which is stitched around the Waist portion of the trousers during the making of the garment; and where the hook fastening members carry integral attachment prongs. Such fastening members are attached by means of the prongs to the waistband, near to one of the closed ends of the latter, for det ch engagement With a corresponding staple or eye at the other end of the waistband. The prongs are adapted to be passed through the. material of the waistband, from the front thereof, and through corresponding apertures in a sheet steel back-plate positioned on the underside of the material within the sleeve or pocket, the prongs being clenched or bent over on to the surface of the back-plate on the anvil of a clenching press.

There will also be described the application of the invention to the attachment to the outside of a pocket or sleeve of a hook member which is not provided with prongs, but which has apertures to receive prongs on a back-plate located inside the pocket or sleeve.

In the accompanying drawings,

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a clenching press, having a movable head part for holding the pronged hook fastening member, and provided with one form of anvilcarrying mandrel in accordance with the invention,

FIGURE 2 shows, in perspective, the pronged hook fastening member and its associated back-plate.

FIGURE 3 is a part-sectional view showing the anvil part of the mandrel inserted into a trousers waistband pocket and the pronged hook fastening member held in the head part of the clenching press, immediately prior to the prong-clenching operation of the latter.

FIGURE 4 is a part-sectional view similar to FIGURE 3 immediately after the prong-clenching operation.

FIGURE 5 shows, in perspective, a fixed form of mandrel carried on a base part of a clenching press.

FIGURE 6 shows in perspective a modified form of two-part hook-fastening device, and

- FIGURE 7 is a sectional view, similar to FIGURE 3, but showing the modified fastener of FIGURE 6 being used.

Referring to the drawings, the clenching press shown in FIGURE 1 is of a known type, apart from the disposition of the anvil (indicated at 7). Thus, the press comprises a solid horizontal bed or base 1 for supporting the anvil, and a head portion comprising a movable slide 2 carrying a holder 3 which is adapted to carry the pronged hook member 4 of the fastening device (see FIGURE 2) with the prongs 5 of the latter presented towards the bed or base 1. On operation of the press, through a treadle-actuated arm 6, the holder 3 is caused to move towards the bed or base so that the prongs 5 of the hook member 4 are caused to penetrate a thickness of intervening material and engage with the anvil 7. The hook member 4 is shown as being intended for use with an associated apertured back plate 8 (FIGURE 2), and the anvil 7 is adapted to carry and locate the latter, so that the prongs 5 pass through the apertures 9 therein and are clenched over on the face thereof by the shaped surface of the anvil 7.

instead of the anvil 7 forming a part of, or being contained in, the bed or base 1, as is usual, in the present invention illustrated in FIGURES 1 to 5 of the drawings, it is formed by a recess 14 in a separate flat steel plate or bar comprising a mandrel 10 adapted to be supported by, and located upon, the base or bed 1, and insertable into the pocket or sleeve of the waistband (indicated at 1'1, FIGURES 3 and 4) through a gap or opening left therein. This recess 14 is of a corresponding shape to the back-plate 8, and is formed with a surrounding retaining wall 15 (FIGURES 3 and 4) in which are formed notches 16 for receiving locating lugs or ears 17 on the backplate 8 so that the latter may be correctly positioned and located.

The mandrel 10 consists of a bar of substantially U- shaped form, the one limb 34 of the U carrying the anvil 7 near to its outer end and the other limb 35 of the U- shaped mandrel is rigidly connected, by screws 36 to a part of the bed or base 1 of the press, so that the mandrel lies in a substantially horizontal plane, with the anvilcarrying end 37 of the limb 34 lying upon the surface of the bed or base 1 and with the anvil 7 in the correct position beneath the movable member of the press. The outer end 37 of the limb 34 is conveniently bevelled to facilitate entry of the waistband material between the mandrel and the bed or base 1, and by virtue of the resiliency or flexibility'of the mandrel, the said outer end part 37 of the limb 34 can be raised above the surface of the bed or base 1 sufliciently to allow the thickness of the waistband material to be passed between. The sleeve or pocket can thus be drawn over the anvil 7 and a pronged fastener may be attached in the same manner as hereinbefore described.

Instead of the above-described mandrel being arranged such that the anvil-carrying limb 34 normally rests on the surface of the bed or base 1, the anvil-carrying limb may be arranged to be normally spaced from the surface of the bed or base by a distance slightly greater than the thickness of the waistband material. In this case, the resiliency of the mandrel allows the limb 34 to flex sulficiently during the prong-clenching operation for it to be rigidly supported by the bed or base. The anvilcarrying end of the mandrel 10 is substantially rectangular in shape, corresponding to the size and shape of the interior of the waistband pocket 11, so that it may be inserted and fit closely therein with its free end 37 adjacent to the closed end of the pocket 11.

It will be understood that the mandrel 10 may be of other shapes, as desired.

In attaching the hook fastening device, the pronged hook member 4 is first mounted in the holder 3 of the movable head part of the press, and the necessary backplate 8 is placed upon the anvil 7. The mandrel 10 is then inserted into an opening left near the relevant end of the trousers waistband -11, and the latter is drawn over the mandrel so that the anvil 7 and back-plate 8 are correctly positioned near to the adjacent closed end of the waistband pocket or sleeve 11. The mandrel is then moved into its operative position in which it is supported by the bed or base, with the anvil 7 below the hook member 4, ready for the prong-clenching operation (as shown in FIGURE 3 In the clenching operation the pronged hook member 4 is brought down by operation of the press (through the treadle arm 6), and the prongs 5 are caused to penctrate the waistband material and engage with the anvil 7 so as to be clenched over on to the back-plate 8, as shown in FIGURE 4. The mandrel 10, together with the waistband pocket 11, is then moved again, thereby disengaging the hook member 4 from the holder 3 of the movable head part of the press, before the latter is allowed to return to its normal raised position, and the waistband 11 together with the attached. fastener may then be withdrawn from the mandrel.

The fastener is thus attached in a quick and efficient manner and in a predetermined position on the waistband, and a minimum of sewing is subsequently required. The fastener may be attached to the made-up waistband before the latter is sewn to the trousers or, provided a small gap is left suffieient for the mandrel to be inserted, it may be readily attached when the waistband is already on the trousers.

As an alternative or additional means for retaining the steel back-plate on the anvil until the fastener is attached the steel mandrel may be heavily magnetised.

The mandrel may be modified for use in attaching, to a pocket or sleeve formed of flexible material, two part fastening or other devices where one part carrying prongs or the like is adapted to be positioned within the pocket or sleeve, and the other part is adapted to be attached to the outside of the pocket or sleeve and has apertures for receiving the said prongs or the like of the firstnamed part after the latter have been caused to penetrate the material during the clenching operation. In this case, the mandrel is formed with a recess for holding and locating the pronged part and the other apertured part is held in a holder in the movable head part of the clenching press, the lower face of the holder being recessed and forming the anvil for clenching over the prongs on to said apertured part.

A two-part hook fastening device having such a reversed arrangement of prongs is shown in FIGURE 6. The hook-carrying part 46 has apertures 47 corresponding in position to prongs 48 carried by the other part 49.

In attaching this fastener to the pocketed part 11 of a trousers waistband, as shown in FIGURE 7, the pronged back-plate part 49 is seated in a recess 50' in the end of the mandrel 10, and the hook-carrying apertured part 46 is held in a holder 51 which is similar to the holder 3 previously shown but which is provided with an anvil recess 52 in its lower face 53.

It will be understood that the shape and size of the anvil-carrying part of the mandrel is preferably designed so as to fit closely within the pocket or sleeve being dealt with, and a range of diiferent sizes and shapes of mandrel can be provided to suit dilferent pockets or sleeves. The mandrel hereinbefore described may be detachably secured, by screws or bolts, for example, so that different size mandrels can be interchanged on the same press.

The herein-described applications of the invention to the attachment of book fastening devices to trousers waistbands will be understood to be by way of example only, and the invention has quite general application to the attachment of staples, eyes or any other devices or parts, carrying prongs or similar attachment means such as eyelets, to any pocketed or sleeve parts formed of flexible material.

Eyelets or eyelet-carrying parts may be attached in a similar manner to the prong-attached fastening devices herein described, the anvil being suitably modified to set the eyelet.

I claim:

Means for use in attaching an external fastener member to the outside wall of a preformed doubled piece of a garment, said external fastening member being associated with a complementary back plate member and one of said members having attachment prongs adapted to be clenched to the other members, said means comprising, in combination, a clenching press having a base, an upper member for carrying the external fastening member, means for effecting relative movement of said upper member and base towards and away from one another to effect the clenching operation, and a resilient U-shaped horizontally extending mandrel having one leg rigidly secured to said base and a second leg normally spaced vertically from the base of the press with an end portion under said upper member, said end portion having a back plate member receiving recess, thereby enabling vertical downwards movement of said outer end portion during the clenching operation, whereby it bears on and is supported by said base.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

